Peoria Art Guild History

Historical Ties To Peoria, IL

The Peoria Art Guild was established in 1969 after 90 years of collaborations with arts and education in the Peoria area. Originally, the organization was brought together by a group of women in 1878 who felt the arts were of important historical and educational value that required preservation.

In the 1930's, the Peoria Art Guild (then called Peoria Art Institute) was instrumental in the creation of fine arts program at Bradley University. By the 1960's, the Peoria Art Guild and other performing organizations partnered to create the Lakeview museum.

As the Peoria Art Guild has progressed as a leader in contemporary art over the years, our successes have mounted.

In 2012, the Peoria Art Guild celebrated it's 50 year anniversary of hosting the Peoria Fine Art Fair. This fair has brought local and nationally recognized artists together to showcase the breadth of their work to the Midwest.

Rare Opportunities – Nationally Known Works of Art

Andres Serrano

In 2005, the Peoria Art Guild had the distinction of being the only venue in the Midwest to exhibit 18 extra-large Cibachrome photographs from Andres Serrano's AMERICA. In late 2001, Serrano began this series comprised of 100 portraits. Serrano, born in New York, is an internationally acclaimed and collected artist. He studied at the Brooklyn Museum and Art School, and started exhibiting in the 1980s.

Pablo Picasso, Jackson Pollock, de Kooning and more!

In 2004, the Peoria Art Guild was privileged to be the host of 18 paintings and five sculptures from the private collection of Marsha S. Glazer. The Glazer collection was considered among the top 100 private art collections at this time. With the exception of pieces too fragile to make the journey, a majority of the Glazer collection was on display.

Foster Arts Center - Acknowledgements

In 1999 the Peoria Art Guild relocated to 203 Harrison Street thanks to the Cohen/Goldstein building donation and the Ellen Foster renovation gift. We are now located in the beautifully rennovated Foster Arts Building.